


Turn all your grey skies blue.

by mogigraphia



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 21:49:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mogigraphia/pseuds/mogigraphia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall's a new single dad, and Harry's his daughter's teacher at the daycare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turn all your grey skies blue.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so so so much to [Clara](paynerprise.tumblr.com) for giving this a look over, you're the greatest, wifey! :* Hope you enjoy, there's probably a lot of Americanisms happening here, so for that I deeply apologize.

Niall think that maybe things wouldn't be so hard, if the kid were a boy. At the same time, he's not sure why he's so intimidated by her, as its not like she's in love with Disney princesses or frills or tea parties, or any of the things his girl cousins liked growing up. The two times he'd seen her before her mother died, it had been fun, connecting with a mini-human that was half him.

But its something quite different, knowing you're now the official guardian of a two year old, who's mother was someone you've spoken to a handful of times since she told she'd decided to put your name on the birth cerificate after all.

"Are you Delaney's uncle?"Niall knows the daycare director means well, but it doesn't stop it from being embarrassing to have to say, "Her father, actually."To her credit, she doesn't skip a beat, just checks his name off the 'allowed to pick up' list (which Niall is rather surprised to already be on in the first place) and asks to photocopy his ID for their records. As she slides it back over to him, she gives him a kind smile."Go ahead down the hall sweetheart, her room's the second on the right, you can't miss it."Giving her a thankful nod, Niall goes, looking around at the artwork tacked up in the hall, and it does make him smile, thinking that maybe his fridge (newly stocked with actual food, rather than condiments and old take away containers) will have some crayon scribbles and finger-paint splotched papers on it. He lingers, leaning forward and trying to pick out the scribble that belongs to his daughter and wow, the phrase still feels unreal. Niall's been thinking it in an abstract way since Delaney was born, but it has real weight now that she'll be coming home with him."We're going on a bear hunt!" A voice cries out from behind him, and Niall startles, whipping around in time to hear a chorus of small voices repeating the words. Crossing the hallway, Niall peers through the glass door of the classroom."But we have to go quietly," the first voice loud-whispers, and it belongs to a hunched over adult figure sitting crosslegged, facing away from the door and toward a group of kids that are wearing identical expressions of glee as they all pat their knees in unison, and Niall is wondering if he stumbled upon some really weird fringe cult."Oh no, a tree's blocking the way, it's so tall and wide and leafy!" The miniature Greek chorus is replete with cries of dismay. "What do we do?""Climb it, climb it!" They cry out, and they all begin miming climbing up a tree, their movements interspersed with giggles. Niall watches, fascinated as they continue the process and climb down the tree, see a deer, cross a bridge, and go into a 'spookyyyyy cave'."It's so dark in here, better get our torches out..." They all mime clicking on torches, giggling and holding hands over their mouths and shushing each other. "Oh no," the voice whispers, and they all freeze, their eyes huge. "I see... _big fluffy ears_. And  _a big wet nose_. And some  _long pointy teeth_.  _It's a bear_!" Cries out the voice, and Niall is positively blown back by the shrieks and screams and even more giggles."Ah, you've found Harry," says a voice to Niall's right, and he just about jumps out of his skin. The daycare director is smiling at him, and he gives her a tentative smile back. "He's a favorite around here.""He's a teacher?" Niall can't keep the surprise out of his voice."Alright, Mr. Harry has to clean the table from snack, so everyone slide on over to the reading rug," he says, his voice low and dawdling and a little bit raspy, and basically almost the complete opposite of how everyone else Niall has ever heard speak to children, so color him surprised when the herd of toddlers actually obeys him quite well."Harry, this is Delaney's father, Mr. Horan," the director says while the kids are all occupied with board books, and Niall is completely unprepared for the dimpled grin that's being turned on him, and is someone shining a flashlight in his eyes, because he feels a little blinded."Please, call me Niall, I mean, I'm not like, an adult or anything," Niall says, flustered as Harry gives him a two handed handshake that is somehow firm and a friendly caress at once."Well it's very nice to meet you Niall," Harry says, releasing his hand after a moment and tucking them into his pockets. "I'm Delaney's teacher from noon to pick up time, oh-" Harry points a finger at him. "Will her arrival time change, now that you'll have her? I can make a note for Miss Demi, she's the lead teacher, she's here from six in the morning to noon when I take over."Blinking, Niall stutters for a moment (can he really stop doing that?) before saying, "Er, she'll probably arrive sometime around eight? The shop I work at opens at nine, and I usually have a few things to do before that." Harry turns that wide dimpled grin on him again, and Niall /really/ needs him to stop doing that."Perfect! We have breakfast at half past eight, so she'll be right on time.""Right, excellent," Niall says, still a little stymied by this guy'smolasses-mouthed enthusiasm, "That's um, that's great.""Delaney?" Harry calls out, and a chubby little face whips around with an interested look and Niall has never been more grateful that they've been able to connect with the handful of times they've seen each other, because she's pushing herself up off the carpet and tearing toward him with an ear to ear grin."Dada!" She cries out, and Niall grins back as he lifts her up and tosses her a little because how can he not?"Hey Dee," Niall says as he brings he in, and she wraps her arms around his neck and gives a little happy sigh as she puts her forehead under his chin. Turning back toward Harry, Niall sees a look in his eyes, like he doesn't know whether he wants to shoot lasers of happiness out of his mouth or instigate a group hug."Mr. Horan, Niall, " Harry corrects himself, putting a hand Niall's shoulder and giving him a look that's so sincere that Niall is having a hard time believing that he's real. "Our director explained your situation; if you need anything at all." He snatches a slightly chewed on Biro out of a sticker covered cup on a nearby desk and grabs Niall's free hand, scribbling on his inner forearm quickly. "That's my mobile, call or text any time.""I...will," Niall sounds out, and he's surprised to find he means it. Harry gives him another blinding grin, and yeah, Niall really needs to get out of here, Delaney's probably getting hungry anyway. He bounces her a little in his arms to draw her attention, her stick straight dark brown hair bouncing up and floating back down as she looks up from playing with the collar of his shirt. "Ready to get dinner, Dee?"*Dinner goes better than expected; after all Niall can make a decent spaghetti bolognese, thanks very much. Even if a good deal of it ended up on them rather than in their mouths. Niall cleans her off her mouth and hands with a flannel, and then her neck and her knee and her elbow as well, and helps her hop down from her booster seat that he'd sat on a chair and wedged it up close to the table. Checking the time, Niall's a little dismayed to discover it's already close to eight, and his mum had told him the night before when he'd called her for advice that she'd always stood by sending him and his brother to bed at around eight at this age.Still, even if he wanted a little more time to spend with her, he figures it's not worth upsetting her routine for, something else his mother had stressed last night."Alright, time for bed Delaney," Niall says after tossing the flannel into the sink, and is surprised to see her little chubby face forming a fierce little frown."No, not bed," she insists, shaking her head. Niall narrows his eyes a little, trying to gauge the situation, but before he can say anything else she's taking off for the living room."Dee, come on, Dada's going to bed too!" He says, his voice pleading, looking around the room and spotting her under the coffee table. Creeping around the far side of the couch, trying to tip toe as best as he can, Niall hops out finally, crying out with an 'Ah-HAH!' noise...but she's gone. Niall straightens up, pursing his lips. From somewhere to his left, he hears a giggle he can only interpret as ominous under the circumstances."Dee..." he calls out softly, turning on the spot slowly, looking around."Dada..." she mimics, and giggles again. Suddenly, she tears out of her hiding place, knocking into his left leg and laughing, and Niall grins and picks her up, twirling and putting her down on the sofa, tickling her sides as she laughs even harder. They tussle for a little bit, and finally Niall sighs, smiling as he looks down at her, his daughter, who sprawls her knees to one side and props her head up with a hand behind it the same way he does. Niall reaches out, tucking some stray hair behind Delaney's ear, and tries again."Let's go to bed, Dee," he says, and immediately she scowls again."Not bed, don't want bed," she says angrily, and then bursts into tears and begs to see her mother. Niall's stomach drops out; even though his mum has warned him to be ready for this. And had especially warned him to be firm."Don't confuse her, that's the very last thing she needs," Maura had told him, and Niall exhaled now, preparing himself."Momma's not," Niall sighed, rubbing his forehead, feeling too young and too old at once, "Momma's in heaven now. Did she ever tell you what heaven is, Dee?" Delaney shakes her head a little, big tears still rolling down her face. "It's where we go when we die," Niall explains, and Delaney's face falls as she cries even harder than before. Niall hugs her into his side, throat tight and his chest hurts because  _she_  hurts and he doesn't know what to do or how to fix it.*It doesn't get any easier to put her to bed over the next few nights; they're both getting less sleep from it and other people are starting to notice."Awake over there, Horan?" His boss calls out from across the shop, and Niall shakes himself a little as hedisengageshis hands from the engine he's taking apart."Am now, thanks Paul," he shouts out above the din of whatever Josh is doing to the car between them. He stands up, rubs the arm of his shirt over his forehead and under his nose, frowning at himself afterwards, already thinking that he's going to have to finally figure out how bleaching clothes works after years of being able to throw all of his clothes in the wash in one massive group, and what if the soap he uses isn't child friendly, and-"Anyone home in there?" Paul says, tapping a socket wrench on the inside of the hood next to Niall's head, and Niall stands up from leaning against the little red coupe, blinking the haze out of his eyes and grumbling embarrassedly. "What's up, you look like you haven't gotten a good night's rest in about a decade.""Cos' I haven't," Niall admits, frowning at having to admit to it, having to own up to not having things as under control as he convinced himself he would. Sighing, Niall rubs his hands over his face again, and he feels oil and machine shop disgusting smear across his forehead and cheeks again, and it takes all of his focus not to let it  _really_  piss him off. "Delaney's just, she's still confused and upset and angry over her mother, I don't know how to make it better. It's like, she's distracted during the day, but the nighttime, and trying to get her to lay down for bed..." Niall's chest constricts with the frustrated yell he wants to make."That's not just going to go away, Niall," Paul says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Little kids are pretty flexible, but it's going to be a big deal, it's never going to stop affecting her.""I know that! It's not like I expect her to just forget and move on like every thing's sunshine and daisies, I mean, it's not like adults are very good at it either," Niall mumbled, rubbing just a little too hard at the left side of his face, and he definitely looks like he has a black eye now. Paul just gives him a kind, far too understanding smile as he claps Niall on the shoulder, about as gentle as Paul does anything."It'll get easier with time, for both of you," he says quietly, before grabbing Niall about the shoulders and turning him back towards the car. "Now, just what the hell is happening in here?"*And even still, Niall doesn't ask for help, not yet. Another day passes, two days pass, and Niall goes to work, pushes his way through a ten hour day of working in the garage with just enough sleep, picks up Delaney from school, takes her home and feeds her, plays with her for about an hour before the fireworks start, followed by the waterworks. By the time those are over, they're both exhausted and it's well past both of their bedtimes, and it's starting to take a toll on both of them.Even the somehow perennially perfect Mr. Harry was giving him anxious little concerned looks when he came to pick up Delaney on Friday."Niall, I don't mean to sound rude but you seem..." He hesitates, frowning more deeply, lines furrowing between his eyebrows. "You seem rather-""Exhausted? Yeah, I've been getting that the last few days," Niall says, smiling tiredly as he transfers Delaney to his other hip and gives her daily sheet a once over, trying to make a joke out of it and hoping that Harry will leave it alone. Of course, he's never that lucky."I meant what I said you know, call, text, whatever, it'd be no problem at all," Harry says seriously, reaching out like he wants to give Niall's shoulder a pat and then retracting his arm like he's thought better of it. "I can come over any time, the middle of the night, just say the word, I know things are hard.""Things are fine, really," Niall says, lying like a rug. "I promise, if I need help, you will be the first person I call. We're just still getting adjusted, I think."Harry gives him an uncertain smile, and Niall is uncomfortable with the thoughtful look he's being given."The offer always stands," he says after a moment, clipping Delaney's little backpack closed and standing back, giving a bit of a wave. "Have a good night then, Niall."The thing is, it isn't like Niall is being purposefully obtuse. He doesn't enjoy the fact that he and Delaney are getting the kind of sleep that makes them both a little cranky and irritable, which might be a little sad on Niall's part, considering he's got nearly eighteen years on his daughter. The next night, they're back to the same struggle, and even worse, it's starting a little early because Delaney is turning up her nose at what Niall's fixed and he's really not in the mood to go back to the kitchen to fix her something completely different."Alright, straight to bed then," he says flatly, so past not being in the mood to handle this that he thinks he might be orbiting Mars by now. "Now dry up the tears Dee, we've both had enough." Delaney is already making whiny noises that border on real crying, and Niall didn't think two and a half was old enough to understand how to be vindictive, but she definitely narrows her eyes and gives him a look that can only say, 'You think  _these_  are tears?' Then with an almighty wail, she really lets loose, pounding her little fists on the table and kicks at bottom of it hard enough to rumble the plates and cups sitting on top.Niall's wrestling with her a little so he can wipe her hands off (because refusing to eat dinner doesn't stop a two year old from playing with it, apparently) and she's smacking at his hands and at his face, yelling, "No! No Dada not bed, don't want bed!", and Niall looks over and spots where he'd scribbled Harry's number on the white board on the fridge. Just like that, all his useless pride is gone, because he's at the end of his rope, and it's currently being tugged out of his hands.*Harry shoots him a text when he gets close, which happily doesn't take too long, since he doesn't actually live too far away. Niall hesitates to say that he's excited for him to arrive, but he also goes to the front door to open it and wait for Harry to walk up the street. He spots him when he's about twenty steps from the door and gives him a wave, trying not to look too eager, but again, he's got the door open waiting for him, so Niall supposes that's a lost cause.Hurrying his pace, Harry gives him a grin and starts to hop up the steps up to his door-- and completely misjudges the last one, foot whoofing through air and sending him careening as if he'd flung himself forward instead.Niall manages to grab him under the armpits before he loses any teeth to the pavement, grunting and hauling him upwards; for someone so gangly, he's surprisingly solid."Alright?" Niall asks, smoothing down the front of Harry's shirt automatically before retracting his hands and shoving them into his pockets.Harry beams at him, and Niall wants to twist around and look for whoever just sneaked up on him and smacked him in the back of the head with a brick."Perfectly, no worries, I'm used to it," he says with a shrug, pushing a ridiculous white fedora a little further back onto his head, though Niall thinks he can detect some embarrassed flush pinking up his cheeks. "They're always taking the mickey at work, I can be kind of a liability.""Break a lot of kiddie chairs, do you?" Niall asks, raising an eyebrow and feeling the corners of his mouth turn up for the first time in what feels like ages."We should go inside," Harry dodges as he averts his eyes, and Niall's smile widens when he sees him biting an sheepish smile away from his lips."After you," Niall says, waving his arm inside the door, letting Harry in. "Ought to follow behind, to catch you in the event that you trip over nothing again.""Quite rude, terrible rude for a father to say, thought you would know better, speaking like that with a child present," Harry says, attempting to sound lofty, but the twinkle in his eye tells Niall otherwise.Delaney is of course, extremely excited to see her teacher, sitting up on the couch and holding her arms out to him with impatient noises. To Niall's surprise, Harry's face is already turned into a serious frown."Delaney, Daddy told me you were being rude, you made him feel so poorly when you acted up during supper," he tells her sternly, and she whines for a moment, scrunching her face up at him when he won't give her what she wants, but he doesn't pick her up yet. "I think you should tell Daddy how sorry you are, to make him feel sad when you don't listen." She waves her arms up at him for a few more seconds like she's hoping he'll give in, but when he crosses his arms over his chest and encourages her to do as he asked, she gives in, crawling over the cushions to put an arm around the back of Niall's shoulders, mushing her lips against his cheek in apology."Sorry Dada," she murmurs, and Niall exhales, wrapping his arms around her, in disbelief that it was that easy when he's felt like trying to parent was something like trying to stay on the back of a wild moose.Later, when Delaney's shifting and turning over and finally settling into sleep, Niall's sitting on the floor next to the low to the ground toddler bed, trying to keep from nodding off himself as Harry closes  _The Very Hungry Caterpillar_. He blinks hard, shifting because half of his arse has fallen asleep and looks up to find Harry looking at him, though he blinks away whatever expression he had on his face as Niall levels his gaze at him."I don't know how you do it," he says, shaking his head a little and letting out a soft laugh."Don't be like that, it's only because she knows me, she's been enrolled at the center since she was old enough to go, it's only because we have, a like. A rapport," Harry says, making a vague gesture. "You'll get there, really."Niall snorts. "I'm working on it," he says, and they're quiet for a little longer."So, uh, would it be...impolite of me, to ask what took you so long? To ask, I mean?" Harry says finally, fiddling with his hair, as his stupid hat has long been abandoned behind the sofa in the battle to get Delaney upstairs."I don't know," Niall answers honestly, giving a little grunt as he rubs his eyes, sighing. "First I thought I could handle it, then I guess it was pride but I'm, I'm not-" He makes an exasperated noise, scrubbing his nails through his hair. "I'm not really a prideful person. I just, I don't know.""Wanted to prove that you could do this?" Harry asks him quietly. He curls himself around so that he's on his stomach and his legs are dangling off the bed, and it's distractingly awkward. "You wanted to show, you might be young, but you could raise her on your own, yeah?" Niall nods slowly, and it's confusingly both scary and comforting to be read so easily. "You don't have anyone to prove yourself to," Harry tells him gently, reaching out and rubbing Niall's knee for a moment, then lets his hand rest there, and Niall likes it too much and he's too exhausted to protest or move away like he knows he should.Niall's not sure how he got there, but he wakes up in his own bed on top of his covers, still dressed but shoes off. Rolling, he finds the white board from the kitchen next to him, a note with handwriting he recognizes as Harry's written on it. _'sleep well, see you in the morning at school, and call me if there's trouble!! - H. xx'_  The last five words are underlined several times, and Niall smiles, worries at his bottom lip with his teeth as he erases it slowly from the beginning of the sentence, and thinks.*He didn't want it to become a thing, because there is a little bit of pride over the matter, down at the bottom of the barrel, but. It's definitely a thing before Niall can really do anything about it. Suddenly, Harry is coming over once a week, then twice, and then somehow he's over at their house more often than he's not, giving piggyback rides and helping with dinner, and it graduates to grabbing the mail on his way in, the neighbors recognizing him by name.Really, it should all be a little galling, but there's just something about Harry, Niall can't put his finger on it, though he devotes an alarming amount of time to pondering it. It should poke at his pride, make him ruffle up his feathers that Harry's turning into their personal Mary Poppins, but honestly he just...mostly wants Harry to keep coming around."Beautiful dancing, Dee," Harry says with a grin while they're all sitting around watching  _Sleeping Beauty_  on a Wednesday, as they've decided to work their way through the classics. She hasn't really been sitting much for this one, mostly playing on the rug and rooting through her toy bin (there hasn't been many explosions or fighting yet, and she and Niall both seem to share the opinion that a good movie needs both), but when Prince Phillip starts to dance with Briar Rose in the forest she gets up and mimics them, turning around and around clumsily with a grin."Now Harry, Harry dance, dance," she commands, yanking at his wrists and fingers until he gives in with a smile and stands up, picking her up and twirling her around so that her hair flies out around her. She giggles for a minute, before she says, "No, like princess," wiggling fussily. Shooting Niall a grin, Harry gathers one of her hands in his, settling her on his hip and waltzing carefully around the living room as she giggles again.Niall grins, abandoning the movie and turning to watch them twirl slowly as they go behind the couch, both with ridiculously wide grins on their faces, before Delaney wiggles again, reaching out her arms toward Niall."Dada dance, Dada's turn," she says, and Niall's not proud of the warm fuzzies it gives him as Harry passes her over and he does a few turns with her around the room, dipping her back and then dipping her way back so that her hair sticks out from her head and she laughs, and Niall thinks that he's head over heels for this child as he rights her again, cheeks pink as she grabs the shoulders of his shirt, that he'd do anything to keep her happy and safe and laughing just like she is now.Niall keeps twirling her around until she leans her head against his neck, giggling and dizzy before she leans up again."Dada and Harry, dance, you dance," she declares as Niall sets her down on the couch, and Niall laughs, starts to shake his head when he feels a hand, warm and large, palm against the space just above the small of his back."Ought to please the princess," Harry says quietly with a quirked smile, lips far too close to Niall's ear.Niall turns around, skin feeling strange and a little too tight, buzzing as Harry joins their hands, his fingers resting in the space between Niall's index finger and his thumb and his other hand resting on the top of Niall's shoulder."I'm the prince, then?" Niall asks, looking up and finding himself unable to read Harry's expression, though it clears in a moment back to the quirked smile from before as Niall puts his hand over Harry's shoulder blade, resists how his fingertips want to search out and map the edges of it, want to trace the muscle and the bumps of his spine."Haven't you always been?" Harry asks, somewhat enigmatically, and they dance, even though the movie has long since moved on to the people of the castle starting to fall asleep.They turn and turn and turn and turn around the living room, and Niall can't look anywhere but Harry's face, can't force his gaze away even as he feels himself kicking aside a teddy or a doll with his socked feet, and there's something cranking gears tighter in Niall's chest that he doesn't have a name for."Calluses. These from working in the shop?" Harry asks quietly as he slides the side of his hand against the pads of Niall's fingers, and Niall can't even answer for a moment because Harry's voice is syrupy slow and dark, feels like the words are lingering in the space between their mouths, like a secret."Nah...I mess around with guitar, when I find the time," Niall breathes back, keeping his voice low, and if he closes his eyes he can imagine their letters and punctuation mingling together."Which means you're amazing, don't give me that fake modesty," Harry chides with a grin, and Niall can feel himself ache as his eyes trace the shape of his bottom lip as it stretches.The space between them feels like it's getting warmer and warmer, the air crackling with something Niall can feel is a dangerous idea, potential energy growing and twisting in Niall's gut, and he worries soon that he won't be able to stop himself from being pulled down the hill of theroller-coaster. He swallows, and wonders if Harry's face is moving closer, or if he's imagining it, can't decide if he should bridge the gap or move away.He manages to tear his eyes away, and sees Delaney snoozing soundly on the couch, flopped back with an arm hanging over the side of the cushions, little snores emanating out of her mouth."She fell asleep," Niall says, his voice feeling too loud, breaking from Harry's arms and feeling like he can breathe again, and his mind is a mess as he keeps his gaze from Harry's face until they get her up to bed.*Summer fades to fall; Niall rakes up the garden with Harry's help, and Delaney does plenty of help herself leaping into their piles and scattering them everywhere again. They expand this, whatever it is, to outside Niall's house, they go on walks and to the park and to dinner, to the movies. Niall tells himself it isn't anything, it's just Harry helping them get adjusted, making sure that they're doing alright. He's just being a help."He's dating the both of you," Josh says one day as they eat lunch on the hood of his car, pointing a finger at Niall's nose. "Don't give me that shocked 'I don't know what the hell you're talking about Josh' face, because you know it's true. You've even talked about going to the beach again, next summer.""Just if my mum can't get off work," Niall says uncomfortably, looking down at his sandwich, which now seems fairly unappetizing."Fine, lie about it, make life harder for yourself, see what I care," Josh says with an eyeroll, and they finish lunch in silence.When Niall goes to pick Delaney up from school that Friday, Harry's got that grin on his face that makes Niall's chest feel too full."Hiiiiiii Dad," he says with a goofy twist to his voice, handing over the daily sheet while Delaney picks out the picture she painted from the drying rack to take home. "Listen, I thought this weekend, we could all go see that new Pixar, Dee really liked the first-""Oh, shi-" Niall clears his throat; he's still not perfect at censoring himself. "Can't, sorry mate, told my mum we'd go round to hers, we're staying there over the weekend, should get back sometime on Monday."Harry blinks, and Niall can see him pushing away something, before he gives Niall a grin, something a little strained and polite."Ah, that should be brilliant, Dee hasn't seen her for a while, has she?" He enthuses, opening the waist high gate for Delaney to walk through and wrap her arms around Niall's legs."Nope, not since she was a baby, and she's definitely intent on spoiling the poop out of her, so I'm sure we'll come home with way too many toys," Niall says, meaningless babble like the rest of the parents that are just saying anything, saying enough to be polite so they can leave again. Harry's kind enough not to call him on it."Have a good weekend then, bye Dee!" Harry says, waving at her and smiling as she waves back, then looks back up at Niall, and his expression is soft, and the kind of vulnerable that makes Niall want to keep anyone else but himself from seeing it. "Um, when you get back to town, give me a ring when you want me to come over?""Course," Niall says, smiling, and he's not  _exactly_  lying.*"Niall, my sweet son, welcome home," Niall's mum says as he comes up to the front door, hitching Delaney up a little higher on his hip as the taxi drives off. He feels bone tired after getting up at the crack of dawn and then having to get his daughter out of bed and dressed and both of them to the airport with enough time to check in, he really doesn't know how parents with more than one kid do it. He's fairly certain his face would fall off from exhaustion. Delaney's been cranky off and on throughout the journey, though she managed to get some sleep on the plane, and Niall could barely close his eyes without everything he was flying away from flashing behind his eyes in neon lights."Hey mum," Niall mumbles, leaning into Maura's embrace, and she wraps her arms around him and Delaney both, hugging them tight before stepping back. Her hands hold onto his shoulders, and Niall wants to duck his head because he's certain that she can read him like a book with large print, but no matter what she sees, she doesn't say a word."Mother Mary, she's practically grown," Maura coos as she takes in Delaney, smiling as shetousles her hair a little, a fond grin spreading over her face as Delaney gives her a shy look from Niall's neck. "Got your eyes and nose, and maybe your hair, time will tell," she says, stepping back to let them inside, and Niall grunts as he shoulders their gigantic bag again and carries it all in.While she's helping them get settled into Niall's old room (which feels strangely sparse without his posters and the general clutter that had been scattered everywhere) Sean shows up."Look who the cat dragged in, didn't think I'd see your ugly mug around here anymore," Sean says after tackling him and forcing Niall's face into his armpit. They wrestle for a minute, Niall laughing as they grapple until he hears Delaney making worried whines."Dee, pet, its alright," he promises her, distangling from Sean so he can show her that Sean isn't actually hurting him, kneeling down and punching Sean in the shin. "Now get down here and meet my daughter, idiot."The rest of the afternoon is great; they all pal around in the back garden for a while, playing with the toys Maura'd picked up for the weekend, in addition to the old toys of Niall that had survived surprisingly well after belonging to a younger and far more hyperactive Niall. Somewhere around the time that Delaney is tucked up on the couch taking a nap while Maura finishes up the dishes from lunch, Sean and Niall are sat at the nice new wicker chairs in the kitchen, just shooting the shit and getting the chance to catch up without little ears around."So it hasn't been too bad? Being all single dad stereotype?" Sean asks while they nurse the terrible beer he'd brought."Not much, I've...had some help," Niall says, a little thrill in his stomach against his will when his brain tries to gloss over Harry. Unfortunately, Sean does not seem willing to let him gloss over him, because he perks up with interest."Hm, that's a tone I haven't heard in a while. You meet someone in London?""No...no one," Niall says, and it sounds like he's been eating rocks. The frown on Sean's face turns into a shit eating grin."Horan's got it  _baaaaad,_ " he sing songs, and Niall just wants to die. He puts his face in his hands and groans, and Sean laughs uproariously, nearly spilling his beer. "Come on then, let's hear all about 'em, boy or girl, tall or short?""Dada, I want Harry."Niall turns around, and Delaney's in the back doorway, sleepily rubbing her eyes with one of his baby blankets clutched in her fist."He's probably back in London, Dee," he tells her, as smoothly as he can manage, another little thrill tingling in his stomach and burning his cheeks as he guides her back to the couch. He has her climb up again, and she must still be tired because she lays right back down, tucking her arms under herself as her eyelids go halfmast."I want Harry," she whines a little, but she's sleepy enough for it to be little more than a token protest; it only takes Niall a minute of stroking her hair before she's out again. Niall sits there for a minute, watching her to make sure she doesn't wake up again and doing his best not to panic."Holy shit," he hears Sean say softly, and he looks up to see him giving Niall an incredulous look."Not in front of her," Niall protests automatically, rubbing his eyes with the meat of his fists and suddenly feeling bone tired."You are head over heels for her daycare teacher?" Sean continues as if he didn't say anything, and Niall gets up, walking out to the back deck again because he went all the way back home to avoid having this conversation with  _himself,_  how the hell is he supposed to have it with Sean?Standing looking out over the grass, Niall feels his guts quiver, and he closes his eyes, downing the little he has left of his beer. When he hears Sean follow him back out, he exhales, and looks over at him. "Got a cigarette I can have?"Even though Niall never smoked more than here or then when they used go out and get properly pissed, Sean doesn't miss a beat. He shakes one out of his pack for Niall to grab, and Niall lights up, holding the smoke for a beat before sighing it out and watching it tendril away in the barely there breeze."I am so screwed," he states, and then glares at Sean when all he does is laugh at him. "How the fuck is this a laughing matter?""Don't know why you're being so dramatic about it, just screw him already. Dee'll be delighted when she finds you both making her breakfast, since she's obviously head over heels for him too," Sean says, and Niall laughs the kind of laugh that curls his tongue and makes his jaw ache. "What?""I can't just...screw him," Niall forces out, groaning afterwards and ashing discretely into his empty beer can. Maura'll kill him if he does it anywhere else. "He's Delaney's teacher at school, there's rules against it, or I'm very sure it's at the very least, strongly frowned upon." He chews his bottom lip for a moment anxiously, though it does feel good to at least say it out loud, acknowledge it to more than his own brain. "I don't want to cost him his job."  _I'm not worth that,_  he adds after in his head. There's some things he's still not comfortable saying aloud.Sean whistles low, looking thoughtfully out over the crocus bushes and rubbing his chin before lighting up a smoke for himself. "Yeah, I do think that puts a pretty big damper on things." They're quiet, listening to the breeze make the wind chimes hung up by the back door clack against each other. Sean finishes his cigarette and pushes it through the mouth of his can down into dregs of his beer. "Sorry mate, that actually sounds like the worst shite and I'm not sure I have any good advice for you there.""As usual, you're massively helpful, a real gentlemen and a scholar you are," Niall says, half-grumpy, but in spite of himself he feels better about the whole mess of it, somehow.*"DeeDee! Daddy's here!" Miss Demi calls across the room to where they're all over on the rug, building with the big cardboard bricks Niall remembers vividly from his own childhood."Not 'DeeDee' Demi,  _please,_ " Niall begs as per usual when Demi gives Delaney an overly cutesy nickname purely to irritate him, but it's halfhearted in his confusion. Sweeping his gaze from side to side, Niall's brow furrows as he resists the urge to lean back out into the hallway and look both ways."He's not in here today," Demi says, which makes him start a little and flush, wondering if he really was that obvious. He looks at her again, and the expression on her face makes even more embarrassment drop into the pit of his stomach. "He asked, he's um, in the school age class, this week and next, I think," she says after a moment, looking uncomfortable for the first time in Niall's memory."Oh, thanks," Niall says, the bone of his jaw feeling like lead, a sour expression attempting to force its way onto his face. He picks up Delaney and slides her onto her customary place on his hip, making himself smile because Demi's a nice person and a good teacher, and doesn't deserve any attitude he might give her just because she's the bearer of bad news. Demi seems to understand anyway, because she gives Delaney's shoulder a gentle squeeze goodbye and a smile.For a moment, it looks like she might say something, but she stops herself, her mouth going back to a polite and warm smile that's still strictly professional. "Have a good night, Mr. Horan."Niall wishes her well and takes Delaney home, and does  _not_  text Harry. He doesn't think any vindictive thoughts because that would be actually ridiculous, because that would be acknowledging that he's hurt, hurt because Harry's switched classes without even telling him. And that just makes Niall want to laugh.  _Really._ After all, Harry doesn't text him either, and Niall feels like that should be indicative of something. Wouldn't he, if he were wanting to spend time with them?So Niall takes Delaney home, and doesn't text Harry while Harry doesn't text him, and after the busy weekend it's a little rough but they manage because they're both so tired. Tuesday comes and Niall doesn't see Harry at the center when he comes to pick up Delaney, and he doesn't go looking for him either. He wouldn't say he's avoiding him, because that would be actively hiding from him. That would imply that Harry was even looking for him in the first place, which Niall is currently reserving judgment on.Tuesday night isn't horrible, Niall tells himself; he tells himself he's gotten good enough at this to take good care of his daughter on his own, goddamn it. He doesn't need help from Harry 'my actual last name is Poppins' Styles, thanks very much. He points out as much to Josh during work, but all he gets for his troubles is  _Independent Woman Part I_  by Destiny's Child played on repeat over the speaker system for an hour straight.Finally,  _finally,_  it's time to close up the shop on Friday, and the week's felt like it's dragged on forever but at least it's over with now. Niall spends a few minutes looking at the rearview mirror at his truly prodigious under eye circles before he goes into the daycare before deciding there's nothing to be done about it, and heads to Delaney's room.He's making the usual small talk with Demi and trying to keep Delaney from picking off the macaroni noodles she'd glued onto her art project that day, when Niall spots him out of the corner of his eye. Harry's coming up the hallway, leading a rowdy pack of school age kids toward the movie room. Niall stiffens and averts his gaze back to Demi, but it's too late, Harry's already spotted him and strangely enough, is waving his kids ahead and coming towards him with a slightly anxious expression."Niall, hey, if you have a minute can I talk to you?"' _Actually, that is the very last thing on this earth that I would like to do, but now you've asked, and I will look like an arse if I tell you no,_ ' Niall thinks but doesn't say aloud, because once Delaney gets a good look at him, it's all over."HARRY!" Delaney shrieks, utterly delight on her face as she grabs at him impatiently, and Niall once again, has no choice but to let her into Harry's waiting arms or look like a complete Scrooge. She grabs onto Harry's shirt to hug him tight and Harry squeezes her back, Harry's eyes closing for a moment. "Miss you," Niall hears her murmur, and he nearly has to excuse himself, because his earlier statement was false,  _this_  was actually the very last thing that he wanted to do."I miss you too Dee," Harry murmurs back, and Niall wants to explode at him because he was the one that abandoned Delaney, he was the one who left first, when she adored and loved him as her teacher, when he was helping so much and to just suddenly decide to switch rooms? Niall wants to know how it's fair that he gets to go waltzing right back in like this."Say bye Delaney, gotta head home for dinner," Niall says, as politely and shortly as he can manage, taking Delaney back through her extremely reluctant whining."Listen to Dad sweetheart, he knows best," Harry says, and Niall has to turn away after a polite nod before he grows tentacles of anger, walking off to sign Delaney out. It gives him a rough pulse of selfish satisfaction to imagine Harry's face after he left without saying a word to him, but he for sure does not turn around to find out what it looks like.*That night is an absolute disaster. It's like that first week all over again; Delaney won't eat, she won't go to bed even though she's exhausted, and they're both on the verge of tears. Niall can feel his cell phone burning a hole in his pocket but he doesn't even use it to check the time, he doesn't want to urge to be in his hands. Finally, at close to midnight or perhaps a little past, Niall manages to get her up to bed and makes her sit on top of her covers with her blotchy red face and fever hot skin from crying.Niall's ashamed to say that he argues with her until she finally submits to laying still long enough to pass out, and Niall falls asleep leaning his head against the bed shortly after. It's not his proudest moment, arguing with a two and a half year old, but it's going to have to work.Normally, Niall still gets up fairly early on the weekends, just because hisinternalclock is already set that way and he's not as into having a lie in as he used to be. However today Niall doesn't wake up until he hears the doorbell ringing, and his phone says it's half an hour til noon.After a quick reassuring glance to make sure his daughter is still asleep, Niall takes the stairs at full tilt, wincing when his neck creaks from his head being pillowed on the bed with the rest of his body on the floor. The light coming through the window showing the walk up is blinding, and Niall curses when he knocks over the potted crocuses his mum had sent home with him, soil and water cascading everywhere. Yanking the front door open, Niall is slightly shocked to find Harry standing there with a box of biscuits, and an anxious expression to match the one he'd worn the day before."Oh, um, hi. I thought that you'd both already be up, and these could be for after lunch," Harry says, shaking the box a little while his eyes widen slightly at Niall's appearance. "But I think...you just woke up?""Delaney's still asleep," Niall says, his voice hoarse from disuse, and with sloping shoulders he steps back to let Harry into the house, because he doesn't want to have this conversation in front of the neighbors. He catches a glance at himself in the mirror right inside the door, and thinks that crawling under a rock might be a viable option for the rest of his life, because he looks half dead, his hair is mussed on one side from leaning against the bed, and there's still some kind of pasta sauce on his cheek from the tragedy of dinner last night.It really just cements things for Niall, and he rubs his hands over his face, picks at the dried sauce, conscious of the weight of Harry's gaze. He looks at Harry's shoulder, and he really doesn't want Harry to say what he knows he's going to say. Actually, Niall's not terribly sure what Harry's going to say, actually, but he's fairly certain that it's not going to be anything good, so he decides to head him off at the pass."So, I'm not sure what you think is happening now, but, if this is some kind of noble goodbye thing, thanks but no thanks," Niall starts unevenly, his eyes still fixed on a frayed hole in Harry's t-shirt that lets one of his stupid tattoos peek through. "Really, I don't think it was very nice at all, to go switching classes, especially without saying a word to, to me, because Delaney thinks the world of you, and really, I'm honestly just concerned for her because kids are supposed to have stability and we had things a certain way, and it doesn't do her any favors for you to just be dropping out of her life-"Niall stops abruptly because he's forced to look at Harry, because Harry's thumb slides under the jut of his jaw, feeling out the guideline of the bone and it's enough of a shock to his system that he actually looks up at Harry's eyes. His expression is that one from the night they danced around the living room only about fifty times more intense, and it kicks Niall in the gut, shocking the breath out of him."It was really, really stupid of me, not to speak to you first," Harry says, and Niall has to choose between looking at Harry's lips forming out the words or breathing, and he thinks it'd be supremely stupid to end up cracking his skull on the tile in the entryway so he makes himself look up at Harry's eyes instead."I'll say," he manages after a second, furrows forming between his eyebrows even as his voice comes out breathless. "I don't, um, what was I supposed, supposed to think? I could have assumed just about anything.""And I'm going to assume...that you did assume something quite terrible?" Harry asks, raising his eyebrows slightly, and Niall thinks that they should be having this conversation a little further apart, so he can't hear the little noise Harry's lips make when he rolls them together nervously."Well, when you switched classes, and I didn't see you at all, and you didn't text at all..." Niall says, drifting off because Harry's hand is still touching his face and he's not sure what he should be doing with his hands, or what he should be saying. The air in his lungs feels static and heavy, his body feels like he's hovering over the edge of that first big hill of aroller coaster, staring down at the tracks at the bottom."Niall..." Harry breathes, and Niall holds his breath and the kicked in the gut feeling intensifies, because he would do any manner of despicable things, to hear Harry say his name just like that, over and over. Harry's expression now is catching on Niall's mind like a 3D picture, only Niall doesn't have the right glasses, until Harry says, "Niall, I switched classes because then, well," and his expression changes into something shy and sheepish, "Well, I wouldn't be Dee's teacher anymore, and then we could, um," and thelight bulb comes on over Niall's head."So what you're saying is," Niall sounds out, just because he has to be sure, even as his hands grab handfuls of fabric at the bottom of Harry's horrible ratty shirt, grab at the material at Harry's hips and grips at him, "You're saying that you switched because then we could get together, right?" Harry goes a little pink but grins, giving a nod. Niall swallows, his eyes scanning down from Harry's eyes, and stop on his mouth. "So I can snog your face off now?""Yes, yes please," Harry says, and he barely gets the words out before Niall drags him forward by his shirt. He feels his fingers poke four new holes in Harry's horrifying t-shirt while their mouths bump clumsily like moths, reorienting and coming back together and _there,_ it's a kiss that Niall feels all the way down to his toes.Niall hears Harry inhale sharply through his nose and he grins into it, nips at his bottom lip so Harry opens up to him and Niall kisses him deep, tilting his head and tasting tea and breath mints, which makes Niall's heart do a funny sort of movement in his chest like it's taking flight. He wants Harry on him like, right this second and yanks on his shirt again so their fronts are pressing together, and Harry makes a noise in his throat and grabs at Niall's shoulders and then one of his hands grabs lower, where Niall's back starts to slope and Niall would absolutely adore that feeling so much more on his bare skin."C'mere, c'mere," he mumbles, dragging Harry toward the living room and the possibility of the couch, and he hears what sounds like assenting noises being made into his mouth when Niall finds himself being forcibly reoriented, suddenly with his back flat on the ground sprawled out with Harry knocking the wind out of him.Dizzy, he cranes around to look and sees that they managed to slip in the sad broken remains of the plotted plant, wet soil and crocus carcuses strewn over the tile, and then looks back at Harry's doe-eyed confusion and he laughs. He keeps laughing even when he leans up on his elbows and catches Harry's gaping lips in a kiss, getting Harry's renewed attention as he sucks on his tongue."Back with me, yeah?" Niall murmurs, unable to keep from sounding smug when Harry starts panting into his mouth, and he hooks a heel over the back of Harry's thigh and pulls him closer.

 

"Hush, you," Harry laughs breathlessly, and the way his eyes are sparkling make Niall catch his bottom lip between his teeth, his chest full and aching in a way he's unfamiliar with, but he could definitely get used to. Propping himself up on one elbow, Niall reaches up with his free hand and cards his fingers through the hair at the nape of Harry's neck, watching Harry's eyes shutter closed as their faces come close again. This kiss is much slower, the soft warm noise of their lips moving together cranking up the heat pooling between his thighs. 

 

He can hear Harry's breath hitch when he presses his hips up, exhaling softly at the hot shape of Harry's cock, trapped in his ridiculously tight jeans. In contrast, he's just wearing his around-the-house joggers, dingy gray and stained, and a little noise from Niall's throat is trapped between their tongues as the wet head of his dick gets caught against the fabric of his boxers. Grunting a little as he tucks his leg up a little higher against Harry's arse, Niall feels the strain of his thigh muscles as he shoves himself up into the saddle of Harry's hips, and he's rewarded quickly with Harry pressing him bodily down into the tile. 

 

Sparks are tingling down at the bottom of Niall's spine, and Niall makes a desperate noise, moving the hand he has in Harry's hair down between them. Niall fumbles with the fly of Harry's jeans for a second and manages to sink his hand down into the front of Harry's jeans, his breath coming shorter and faster and he's nearly got a hand around Harry's cock to draw him out of his pants, he can feel the heat of him and it makes him feel like minnows are swimming around in his stomach. 

 

"Dada?" Calls a sleepy voice from far off, in the vague direction of Delaney's room. 

 

Both of them freeze immediately, faces tilting up toward the top of the staircase that they're nearly at the foot of, and when there's no little face peering down at them with a scarred expression they relax, panting a little before breathing into giggles. 

 

"The princess awaits," Harry says into his hair, "So it looks like I'm going to have to save all the things I'm going to do to you until nap time."

 

"Careful, she only naps for about an hour and a half these days, don't know if you'll have time enough for all those fancy things," Niall says, pulling back a little so he can look at Harry's flushed and grinning face. 

 

"Well, then I guess some of it will have to wait until tonight," Harry says, making himself have a straight face for barely a second before he breaks, giggling again, and Niall could go on kissing him forever, he really could. 

 

"Still, I've just remembered I have a list myself, so tonight might not even be enough time," Niall says, raising his brows.

 

"I'm sure we'll find time to fit it all in," Harry says while waggling his, and Niall can only giggle for a second before their lips are pressing together again, but. He's really not sure he minds. 

 


End file.
